Articles

Ugandan arrested in Kenya over bombs

A Ugandan national named Ali Issa Ssenkumba who hails from Butambala in Mpigi district was arrested in Kenya in connection with the bombs that rocked Kampala on the World Cup final night, killing at least 74 people, the Police revealed yesterday.
The arrest happened last week, shortly before the bomb attacks, and Ssenkumba has since been transferred to Kampala for interrogation, journalists were told during a press conference at the Media Centre. His arrest brings to six the number of suspects now in Police custody. Police would not divulge any details.During the same press conference, the Police surgeon, Dr. Moses Byaruhanga revised the number of people who died in the blasts at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds and Ethiopian Restaurant on Sunday from 76 down to 74. He also told journalists that the two heads of dead men suspected to have carried out the attack are dark skinned. He did not elaborate. Meanwhile, there was pandemonium at the Constitution Square yesterday following a bomb scare, which was later declared a hoax.Besides these developments, investigators are still struggling to connect the dots and make sense of the synchronised bomb attacks. Sources close to the investigation say intelligence officers are having trouble getting a clearer picture as to how this heinous act was pulled off. The investigators will have to find answers to the many questions. For instance, how was this planned and from where? Were the bombs home-made or were they smuggled into the country? If Al-Shabaab were involved, as they claim, do they have an active cell in the country? The police on Tuesday rushed to allay some of the public’s worst fears.The Inspector General, Maj Gen Kale Kayihura, described as significant, the discovery of a possible suicide bomber’s vest in Makindye, together with tens of ball bearings and a black bag. “Ball bearings at high speed can have the effect of an AK47 bullet,” said Kayihura, who also confirmed that similar ball bearings were discovered at Kyadondo Rugby Club. Yet even then, the Counter-terrorism Chief, Abasi Byakagaba said it would be premature to tell the nature of the bombs that went off in Kabalagala and Kyadondo. All Byakagaba said is that from the preliminary investigations, it appears the bombers were an organised group. The bombs exploded at about 11pm during the match between Spain and The Netherlands in South Africa, at a popular Ethiopian restaurant in Kabalagala, and at Kyadondo Rugby Club in Lugogo where hundreds of people had assembled to watch the game. More than 70 people were wounded. To get to the bottom of the matter, our knowledgeable sources have told us that the police shall need the assistance of countries with more highly developed intelligence networks. “This is the kind of investigation that can take many months,” our source, a terrorism expert, told us.The United States, which lost at least one citizen in the Ethiopian restaurant blast, has indicated willingness to give Uganda a hand. The New York Times, a leading newspaper in the US, this week quoted a US government official Philip J. Crowley as saying that Washington had sent three FBI agents to help with the investigations. “The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with Uganda in the fight against terrorism,” Crowley, the State Department spokesman, said. So far the one thing that appears to be clear is the identity of the people behind the attacks. Fingers are pointing at Al-Shabaab, which has even claimed responsibility, but the police cannot simply take the group’s claims as true because it could be a cover up, sources told us.There have been warnings over the last two years from Al-Shabaab, that unless Uganda withdraws its 3,000-strong African Union troops from Somalia, the country would be attacked. The timing and occasion of the attacks have a familiar ring to it, considering that it is the second time in 12 years that two bombs have gone off in Kampala when people are watching a World Cup final. On July 12, 1998 when France defeated Brazil in the final, two people died and others were injured when one bomb went off at Slow Boat and another at Isabella Bar in Makindye, Kampala, within minutes of each other. The bombs have also sparked off debate as to whether Uganda should pull its troops out of Somalia. But government ministers, Kabakumba Matsiko and Okello Henry Oryem, insisted this week that Uganda would not pull out of Somalia as that would mean that “we have given in to the demands of the terrorists.”This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Comments

now Ug police has no intelligence ! what a shame , it was asking for 300BN Shs to police the elections and recruiting 30,000 more , eh ??Other countries spend their money wisely to help african black premitive dictators ???

I wish to join all peace loving Ugandans and all over the world to condemn the absurd act of terror executed on innocent non suspecting world cup football spectators. May the Lord strengthen the bereaved families, and wish a quick recovery to the injured.

There is some level of arrogancy being exibted by some government officials whose minds deceive them that their NRM regime can wipe out Al-shabaab or terrorism. The continued stay in power by NRM has clearly shown that Dr. Apolo Milton Obote was a better statesman as regards foreign policy and non inteferance in other coutries matters. If Americans failed and pulled out its forces from somalia without fear of being ashamed; who are we with our UPDF? Is our force more superior army than the US army that it has a name to protect in somalia??.

Priority No.1 for any meaningful government is to protect its people not to let its citizens die at the hands of terrorists in the name of protecting other countries. Today its our people and you dont feel much pain,thus see no reason to withdraw our troops from somalia to save future lives because you feel your families are well protected!; then its okay; but trust God the terrorist will teach you a lesson that you will never forget.

Terrorism will out live NRM regime because the root cause of terrorism is about resources that the west wants to steal from Arab states and mostly moslem countries, which God blessed with oil and their people have the will and energy to sustain their cause through terrorism.Thats why no sensible African state can allow its forces to be used by the west to fight for their loot.

Uganda is one of the very few countries with "NO" migration law. "Of course it is there but not functioning". Anybody from anywhere can enter, stay and leave the country at will and with no follow up. Due to high corruption in the country the National Identity cards project has become history, the LC systems dead, and police busy sleeping. No serious country can allow migrants or foreigners to enter, stay,move every where, own property without trace. It is common to find Somalis, Masais' Sudans, Rwandese,Indians to mention but a few, moving up and down anywhere selling from pancakes to cars without work permits or residence permits, buying plots of land and building anywhere of their choice. Citizenship in Uganda is automatic as long as one manages to enter the country. Anybody can vote as long as he/she registered. We don't have any measure. It will be very difficult for us to enforce security in all parts of country if these issues are not rectified. This green veld were are creating will continue to claim many innocent lives. May God come to our rescue

A TOP South African veterinary professor and a human paediatric heart surgeon yesterday performed a major operation on a German shepherd puppy flown to South Africa by its Ugandan owner earlier this week.Chris van Blerk is the spokesperson for Onderstepoort Veterinary Teaching Hospital (OVTH) in Pretoria, where the female dog named Kia is in a stable condition after undergoing an “intra- thoracic shunt procedure” to repair a defect in her heart

Whereas I also find Ms Kabakumba Matsiko arrogant, the issue of al Shabaab terrorists is beyond political differences. I acknowledge that without groups like al Shabaab, NRM is Uganda's biggest problem, yes, NRM is a liability or call it a burdensome yoke yet, NRM is far more saintly in the presence of al Shabaab.

al Shabaab is not America's problem, it is an African problem which eventually will become a world security problem. The Arab moslem fundamentalists have always believed in violent & murder with or without America or NRM, go & read your history books. They'll always finds reasons to be terrorists. They had been terrorists before UPDF went to Somalia. It was a question of time & they would strike us maybe for being 'infidels' or America's friends. Tanzania & Kenya were not in any way involved in the affairs of a moslem country when they bombed Dar & Nairobi & later tried to shoot down a plane carrying tourists while taking off from Mombasa. Tell me Steven, what wrong did the Kenyans or Tanzanians do for those bomb attacks? 278 Kenyan national were killed instantly but in your opinion what was their crime? The Islamic fundamantalists called their victims; 'victims of circumstances', but which ones were the circumstances?

The truth is that Islam is a faith that teaches violence against humanity. The Americans weren't in Nigeria when Moslem fandamentalists masacred none moslems simply bse they were none moslems. There was no American involvement when a Nigerian Islamic court sentenced a girl to death by stoning for getting pregnant out of wedlock. America was not in Afaghan when girls were ordered out of schools & putting a girl child in school would be punished by death. The Americans weren't in Bwaise when Moslem youths detonated a bomb on a crusade were Pr Joseph Sserwadda was preaching. Terrorists just love to kill people & thats all.

The only way to deal with al Shabaab is militarily reacting to their foolishness in the strongest terms possible. If they weren't happy that the UPDF was in Somalia, there weren't any decision makers in Ethiopian Village or Lugogo? Why didn't they attack State house or Makindye? Did those who're masacred have the power to order UPDF in or out of Somalia?

My friend kakooza if you don't know State house is heavily guarded, every highly placed army officers' ministers, big goons in NRM's residences are tightly guarded.

That is why Col. Kayanja's guards managed to shoot and kill the thugs that had invaded him. For your information these bastardizes commonly known as terrorists are interested in numbers, the ratio to them is important their is no point to them for killing Kayihura who is heavily protected when there are thousands Ugandans unprotected and free at large one man to them is equivalent to thousands. It is the common man who suffers.

You may say people who went to Lugogo where of high class BUT these are innocent people with no touch to the enjoyments of the benefits from Somalia, people who have never got a chance of even stealing a 100 coin from the government coffers.

These thugs want Ugandans to wake up and say NO NO to Museveni's government and if we don't they will keep on butchering us as if we are grasshoppers don't forget we are not protected may be you are but 90% of Ugandans are not. Ugandans stand, unite and say enough is enough. There must be respect for human life, Police is killing, safe houses are killing, thugs are killing were are we????

We all condem terrorism because it is a barbaric act. The question is not whether what the terrorists are doing is good or not.

But what we are trying to address is that it is possible for Uganda to avoid being the primarly target of terrorist by pulling out our forces from the somalia and the UN should be able to provide a neutral force that doesnt put the lives of ugandans in danger.

If all other countries in africa refussed to offer troops, why Uganda and Burundi? are they the most democratic countries to bring peace in somalia?.

Its is true that terrorists are not powerful and are not ready for any conventional war but their belief is their strength. Powerful people dont kill because they have the means to displine and be listerned to. what brings about terrorism is the weak trying to fight the powerful. Its to inform those who are powerful that they can also make you cry despite being weak and small in number.

In marriages its mostly women who kill their husbands through poison or pour acid to fellow women who befriend their spouses just because they are weak they cannot sustain a fight or battle. similarly,Men always instantly kill when they get their spouses into a love affair with another man because they know that no justice will help them to despline these love birds.

Terrorism is a global concern and it should be adressed globally by UN not using poor undemocratic african regimes that equally terrorise their own citizens.